2015年5月26日火曜日

You will see a lot of Torii, the gates to the shrine, and banner flags here in Sasuke inari shrine.

In the ancient Japan, the color red is treated as sacred and valuable color.
There are several meanings to this color.

It is thought as a color which beats the evil.
And it is thought that get rid of rats, birds and insects which damages farm crops.
To color the Torii, ancient Japanese used mercury and become red.
Mercury have effects to the insects, so it was not just a saying.

I got a question why foxes wearing red clothes.

The person who gave me a question knew several things about Japanese culture.

He asked me "Jizo (the small standing budda statue in the streets) is wearing red clothes, too and is it same meanning? He also knew the meaning of red clothes, too. People prays for children's health to Jizo, and let them wear red clothes.

The meaning of clothes for foxes in shrines are same as Jizo.

O inari san's favorite food is Inari sushi.

Inari sushi is also called "O inari san" in Japanese. I didn't know why they are called same.

I would like to research about this sushi soon.

I recommend to go to Zeni arai benten shrine.

There are small booth there and inside, you can eat little sweet delicious Inari sushi and Great Budda beer.

2015年5月23日土曜日

There is most famous Inari shrine in Kyoto, but there is beautiful shrine in Kamakura, too.

It takes about an hour to go to Kamakura from Tokyo.
To go to Sasuke inari shrine, it takes 30 minutes walk from Kamakura station.
It is easy to take a bus to Great Budda, called "Daibutsu" in Japanese, and it takes about 15 minutes walk to the shrine.

This shrine is built about 800 years ago, at Kamakura era.

In the dreams of Yoritomo Minamoto, the future shogun of Kamakura government, a man came and said "Fight with government now. I will help you." Yoritomo asked him. "Who are you?"

The man answered. "I am the inari in Kamakura."

He called and gathered the samurai, and fought with the Taira government.

He won the government and started Kamakura era.

He didn't forget about the dream. He built a shrine in Kamakura.

Now, Inari shrine has few areas, and the picture which I uploaded today is the most oldest part.

2015年5月21日木曜日

The last act for the Gagaku concert was "Ryou Ou".
I was expecting to see this act most and will upload a lot of pictures today.

Ryou Ou, is also said as Ran Ryou Ou. I will write about Ran Ryo Ou this time.

It is written like this in Japanese.

Ran Ryo Ou is a king in China, the kingdom named Hokusei which flourished 550 A.D..

He is said that he was really handsome looking, and also had gentle character.

When the war began, he lead soldiers to the battlefields.

He was brave and valiant king, but the his beauty and kindness appeared as minus point in the war. Soldiers were absorbed in their beautiful king and become dreamy feelings. Of course they were very weak.

Ran Ryou Ou had to do something to get over the crisis.

One day, he wore fierce looking mask.

The soldiers were surprised and feared how their king changed.

Ran Ryou Ou whipped his soldiers with fierce mask, and the soldiers fought strongly to their enemy.

They won the war.

This act is showing a seen that Ran Ryou Ou is wearing the mask.

I knew Ran Ryou Ou from a comic in Japan, a manga, named "Shura no Mon".

The lead character is a heir of ancient Japanese martial art and he fought with kung fu fighter from Taiwan. The kung fu fighter's name was Ran Ryou Ou.

I would like to introduce usual days in Japan using pictures.

I love travel both inside and outside of Japan.
But now, as I'm an office worker, its difficult to go far places. In this situation, I do internet and see beautiful pictures everyone takes. If the pictures were place I had visited, they may reminds me the memories how the place was fun, the site was beautiful, the people was nice, and somethig like that. If the pictures where never visited, I dreams of going there, and sometimes become those motive for going the place. I will upload pictures and blogs those who have near thougts as me.
I'm glad if my pictures and blogs uploaded makes you happy.